Try2Tri

2010-02-26T17:00:00.002-06:00

FEEL IT. FIGHT IT. FINISH IT.

This is my new motto for the season. I kept saying this to myself last night during my run and I had a great run....finally. Felt good and was a good time for me too. Ahhhh. Starting to remember why I run. I have to remember not every day can be a good run day. You just have to hope they land on race days!!

2010-02-24T08:45:00.002-06:00

Mental Games (UGH)

Someone please help me understand why I have such a hard time fighting the demons when I run. Jon and I were out for a 6 mile run this past weekend. Not breaking any speed barriers that's for sure. I just wanted to quit. To walk. Anything but run. We slowed down for a "breather" and I said..."I have really tried to love this...but I just don't love it." Jon loves to run. I want to love to run. I really enjoy being out there with him. We can have that time together, just us. It seemed easier of course when our miles were long and we'd get to run a 6 miler. 6 miles back in November seemed like a warm up...now it is again a struggle. Maybe I just don't have the mental strength necessary... Jon is all his wisdom said to me... "You know, you have quite the resume. Think about what you ahve accomplished." And he started going through all the things (races, distances, etc) that I/we have completed. He can always put a positive spin on things. I need to learn to do that!

2010-02-09T15:37:00.003-06:00

Marathon Training has begun.

16 weeks to the Madison Marathon. Yes, I have decided to try another one. Training starts tonight. I'll squeeze in a short run prior to Pilates and hopefully won't DIE at Pilates!! Actually I have been doing half-marathon trianing the past 4 weeks but haven't show the dedication to the training plan that I know I need to. Time to ramp-it-up and log big miles.

My husband and brother are doing this full as well. My brother has some big goals (4 hours) and I know I can't run this distance at that speed so I won't be trying to hang with him! My hubby wants to run with me again and of course I welcome his company. It's a bit more managable with help from your best friend! So here we gooooooooooo. Bring on the miles.

2010-01-07T08:18:00.004-06:00

Plans

It's funny how we "fall off the wagon" after a big event we have been training for. I have seen this with some of my IronMan friends in the past. You spend so much time training and building up your miles that after the event you need to recover and take time off. I feel like suck a slug lately. Too much time off and the weather has been apart of that also. I hate to run in the cold even more than I hate the treadmil. :)

I'm planning to do both the La Crosse and Madison half marathons this May. I am registered for the West Salem Tri and I will register for sure for the Brice Prairie Time Trial. I was asked to join a team of all girls for the Hood-to-Coast Relay. It's a bigger and better Ragnar Relay and I am very excited about it. Jon and I still plan to do Ragnar as well but we are changing a few things up with our team. (Guy van and Girl van) These relays are both in August so that leaves lots of training time.

My 16 week plan to get to the La Crosse starts Monday. 3 runs a week. I have also started back up with Spinning and need to work in those pool workouts too. Maybe I should do the YMCA Indoor IronMan again this February! What better motivation is there??

2009-12-31T08:01:00.001-06:00

As every runner knows, running is about more than just putting one foot in front of the other; it's about our lifestyle and who we are.

2009-12-30T08:52:00.002-06:00

WELCOME BACK

It's almost 2010 so I thought I could make a resolution to keep my blog up this year. I have been a bad blogger to saythe least. Maybe because Facebook called me away. At any rate. it's been a great year.

My last update here was WAY back in May and right after my injury. After tests, an MRI, visits to the Doc it was determined to be my IT Band. I took about 2 months off of running to let things settle down which sucked. I did both a Sprint Tri and an Olympic as a team having someone run for me. That was fun but hard at the same time. It's tough not to be able to be our there on your own. In July I started back at running. It was like I had never run in my life, seriously. I had to build up all that endurance all over again. But I slowly got there. We did the Great River Ragnar Relay again this year. My longest run for that and my longest since my injury was 8.2 miles. Felt good to be back. I had decided back in April to sign up with my husband for the Las Vegas Marathon which was in December. Ragnar started my training for that. With minor issues with the IT Band, I invested in a Foam Roller. Let me tell you, that thing is MY SAVIOR. If you haven't tried it for stretching...you SHOULD.

We spent September-October-November training for Vegas. Great bonding time for my hubby and me. I love running with him and he is sooooo very patient. He had decided when we signed up that he would stay with me for the whole Marathon...and he did. We ran it in 4:45. I had a goal to 1. Finish and 2. Be under 5 hours. Though I would have liked to be closer to 4:30 I was happy with the time. I hit the wall very early..mile 14 and had some struggles but made it. I now can say "I ran a marathon". I swore that day it would never happen again but I am already looking for another one to do.

So this year I plan to do a few Sprint distance Tri's, a couple Biking Time trials, and possibly another marathon. The run training is so demanding I'm just not sure. Maybe if I do one early in May, like La Crosse, it would be ok. I'd really like to focus on my biking this year. Since that's what I truly love.

I'll try to keep this up better. Stay tuned.

2009-05-14T20:38:00.002-05:00

Injured

The dreaded word no triathlete or runner ever wants to hear. I experienced some knee issues while running the La Crosse half marathon just a week and a half ago. About mile 5 I got a shooting pain in my right knee. Ran a bit more and it happened again almost taking me down. At the advice of my cousin, I headed up to the middle of the road where there was less of an incline. That seemed to help for a while but the paid was getting worse about mile 9. 10-12 were absolutely miserable and all I could think of was how early in the season it was and all the races I am signed up for...to include 2 Olympic distance Tri's in June, a Half-Iron distance Tri in July, a Cycling time trial in June and a Matathon in December. Great!

So I ran for the first time tonight....well, tried to. Less than a mile. Ugh! This is really sucky. i have an appointment with Orthopedics Monday. Hope they have good news for me.

2009-03-22T08:33:00.002-05:00

It's been a couple weeks...

Well, I haven't ever been good about consistency in posting. Sorry about that. Life just takes up so much time. I have been extremely busy at work. I've been on a computer conversion project for the last 15 months and we recently went through our final conversion and go-live. Thisgs are looking up to say the least. I work for the University of WI-La Crosse and we are converting our entire student system. As you can imagine, there's a lot of data. I am on the financial end of things (student bills) so of course accuracy is important. At any rate, things should start to slow down a bit in th enext few weeks and I might actually want to be on the computer more often during off-working hours.

Training continues. 6 weeks to the LaCrosse half marathon. My mileage is steadily increasing much to my dismay! Man, I should just be a biker chick and move on with my life. I just don't love to run. But I do it. Yesterday was an 8 miler and it went ok. It was hard but I managed to finish in 76 minuted and was happy with that. I didn't have my Garmin as my hubby was out for a 16 miler and needed it so I think I may have been 1/4 mile short on my distance. Still under 10 min miles though. I wish I could be faster but I just don't have the drive once I'm out there. Mental issues you know! :)

Swimming needs some focus. I just completed an 8 week "class" which I will miss. It was good to have someone looking at and correcting my form. It also assured me at least one visit to the pool per week. I need to stick with it.

I plan to hit the roads with the new bike today. I will need to be careful of sand on the roads as they just aren't clean yet. Should be fun!

2009-03-05T18:12:00.001-06:00

2/22/09 - 2/28/09

Swim Slacker this week....
Weather was terrible and swim class was cancelled on my regular night...Sometime life just gets in the way of training. :)

Bike Distance: 43.5 miles
Bike Time: 2:41
Bike Calories: 1740
Bike Pace: 16.2 mph

Run Distance: 13.6 miles
Run Time: 2:09
Run Calories: 1360
Run Pace: 09:30

Total Miles: 57.1 miles
Total Time: 4:50
Total Calories: 3100
-

2009-03-02T20:09:00.002-06:00

We do not rise to the level of our expectations; We fall to the level of our training.

2009-02-22T08:13:00.001-06:00

2/15/09 - 2/21/09

Swim Distance: 1.42 miles
Swim Time: 1:15
Swim Calories: 568

Bike Distance: 38.2 miles
Bike Time: 2:21
Bike Calories: 1528
Bike Pace: 16.3 mph

Run Distance: 13.09 miles
Run Time: 2:07
Run Calories: 1309
Run Pace: 09:41

Total Miles: 52.71 miles
Total Time: 5:43
Total Calories: 3405

2009-02-22T08:11:00.001-06:00

2/08/09 - 2/14/09

Swim Distance: 1.42 miles
Swim Time 1:15
Swim Calories: 568

Bike Distance: 15 miles
Bike Time: 0:53
Bike Calories: 600
Bike Pace: 17.1 mph

Run Distance: 12 miles
Run Time: 1:56
Run Calories: 1200
Run Pace: 09:41

Total Miles: 28.42 miles
Total Time: 4:04
Total Calories: 2368

2009-02-09T20:29:00.001-06:00

2/01/09 - 2/07/09

Swim Distance: 0.77 miles
Swim Time: 0:45
Swim Calories: 308

Bike Distance: 36 miles
Bike Time: 2:12
Bike Calories: 1440
Bike Pace: 16.4 mph

Run Distance: 9 miles
Run Time: 1:27
Run Calories: 900
Run Pace: 09:41

Total Miles: 45.77 miles
Total Time: 4:24
Total Calories: 2648
-

2009-02-09T20:27:00.001-06:00

1/25/09 - 1/31/09 Training

Swim Distance: 0.83 miles
Swim Time: 0:45
Swim Calories: 332

Bike Distance: 36.48 miles
Bike Time: 2:17
Bike Calories: 1459.2
Bike Pace: 16 mph

Run Distance: 5 miles
Run Time: 0:49
Run Calories: 500
Run Pace: 09:48

Total Miles: 42.31 miles
Total Time: 3:51
Total Calories: 2291.2
-

2009-01-26T13:57:00.004-06:00

Week Training Summary
I have been logging my training on OnTri.com and it's pretty cool to look back at to see what you have accomplished in a week. You can see that mileage is still pretty low in all areas. It is only January!! This will all start to pick up soon! (Week is Sunday to Sunday)

Swim 45min. 0.8 miles 308 calories
Bike 1:45 28.1 miles 16.1 mph 1124.8 calories
Run 0:42min 4.5miles 09:24ave pace 450 calories

Totals 3:12 time 33.4 miles 1882.8 calories

It doesn't include weight training but it's pretty cool!

2009-01-08T19:57:00.002-06:00

Training

Just got home from the Y. Triathlete swim clinic. We had a speaker Tuesday night that showed a video and spoke on various drills we can use to better our swim technique. Tonight we got to try them out. I was thinking we'd do a few laps. Easy stuff, just work on drills. UGH We did a good workout actually. For me it was good anyway. Laps and drills put us over a mile!!! It actually felt really good to be in the pool.

After class Tuesday I got my butt on the treadmil for a quick 2 miles. I was hoping to do that again tonight it was getting late and I needed to eat!! So tomorrow that's the plan. At least 2 miles. Starting with low mileage for a couple weeks to get the legs back a little then I will slowly build. I am goiing to try juggling a half-marathon training plan for May 3rd with my half-IronMan trianing plan. I did this last year and it went pretty good. I really have to plan my weeks out ahead of time or too much gets skipped!!! :)

Well, happy training. Stay tough our there....you know who you are and YES I'm talking to YOU!!!

2009-01-06T08:22:00.002-06:00

Training/Race Update

Registration for Door County Half Iron opened up January 1 and I am oficially committed and registered. I am traveling this year with a few friends. It will be nice to have some folks I know out there on the course with me. Though I loved having my hubby ride his bike with me on the run. Not sure I could have gotten through without him there. I'll have to dig deep this year.

I plan to register for the Got Energy Olympic distance tri and I have hopes of doing the Brice Prairie Time Trial but it is the same weekend as the Rochesterfest Oly. I may do both!! :) We'll see how training goes. The first annual La Crosse half-marathon is May 3rd and I am planning to do that as well. That's it so far. Ragnar Relay??? Maybe!

I am slowly getting back into training. First trip to the pool last Sunday and I got in 1000 meters. It felt pretty good actually. I have a Swim Clinic this week and next where I will learn some drills for both water and land. They are also taping us swimming and will critique us. That should be interesting!! I've been doing Indoor Cycling classes at least once a week but am shooting for twice. I may just stick to once and do another day of longer time on my trainer (now that I finally have a bike!). Running starts tonight! This week I have 3 short runs of 2 miles each planned. Same thing next week. I have a tri ptraining plan picked out but it doesn't start till February. I may work in a few of the eraly workouts sooner. I need to focus and STICK TO MY PLAN this year. Especially the swim workouts as I really struggled in the open water at Door County last summer. I hope to take 15 to 20 minutes off my time from last year so I will have to stay strong and sane! NO WATER DEMONS.

Well, as always.... Happy Training!

2008-12-31T14:35:00.003-06:00

2009 Orbea Ora

You gotta love her! And she is all mine!

Things with the Look just didn't work out as I had hoped. Building a bike piece by piece is just expensive.....about $1000 more than I wanted to spend on a bike. If I were some hot shot triathlete...maybe...but I am not. So this is what I bought and I love her!!! Machinery Row in Madison was her home. They were really good to work with and Dan the Tri Bike Guy knew his stuff. (Probably not like Dan from RTC but ok for now!!)

2008-12-23T13:13:00.002-06:00

Bike Quest

Still working out the details. RTC is putting together a "package" for me. Hopefully in the right price range. The bike the Look dealer brought was sweet but the frameset alone was $5500. Haaaaaaaaaaa I said. Not happening. Well, they have more than one model you see and I am now looking at the 576. We should have pricing details all worked out by the end of the week.

Hope you all have a very Blessed Christmas. Be good to your kids! That's the really fun part. And give lots of hugs to the ones you love. I will be. It's been a year of learning to not take life for granted. It could be gone in a miute.

2008-12-07T16:49:00.003-06:00

DETAILS!!

Ok, My quest for a bike has been a fun one to say the least. I have been struggling with my loyalty to our local bike shop, River Trail Cycles (RTC). Seriously struggling. They ROCK!! We bought 2 Haro's there this summer and believe me I have spent lots more than just that!! :) So, they carry Giant and Bianchi neither of which am I totally thrilled with (Not in love with the color schemes on the Tri bikes to be honest). Thus, looking at different options....but someplace else??....and let RTC service it??...which they would. OR rry to find just a frame and let them build it for me??...options options. So I thought I had found an Orbea Ora frame BUT I was misinformed. Brones Bikes (Close to Holmen) carries Orbea and we thought they had a frame in my size but no such luck. No 48cm available, well the one they have is SOLD. Wait for an 09?? I don't want to wait!!! Machinery Row in Madison will have 09's soon as well. Ugh, we could shop Christmas weekend while we are visiting my Brother and the family....

Mu hubby stopped at RTC Friday night and was talking about me and my NEED for a bike (and my loyalty to them!!!). They informed us that they would be carring another brand this year. LOOK brand. A great brand and they have a dealer coming in next weekend with demo's for our Tri team social we are having at the shop. Well curiosity got me...started looking on-line at the LOOK Tri bikes. Fully Carbon, and RED!!! You see the picture....it's SWEET!!! AND It's in my price range...we don't know lots of details on components etc. We'll get all the dirt next Saturday! I will go crazy, I am sure, before that but they are supposed to be bringing one in my size so I can try her out!! Yeah!

More to come. Stay tuned.

2008-12-06T20:46:00.005-06:00

Change of Plans

What do you think of THIS??

OK minus the ZIPS to keep the price a little more reasonable.... Someday maybe I can afford ZIPS!!!

2008-11-26T17:13:00.002-06:00

Welcome Back Self!

Sorry, if you even care, that I have been away from blogland for what feels like forever. Well, I think I've been away cuz I have been a complete and total slacker....no swimming, no biking, and definitely NO running. Yep. Lazy Me. Time to get back in the saddle!

Update...No bike yet. Though I believe I have picked the winner and at first glance...she looks just like the one I let get away!! RED BABY RED cuz I love RED and she's perty!!! Orbea Ora 2009. Take a peek!! I just drool over her! And YES she is a girl. No guy can be that HOT!! :) Hoping to trek over to Machinery Row in Madison to give her a looksee as soon as the 09 Models arrive. It is KILLING me not to have a bike yet. As you know, if you know me, I AM NOT PATIENT!!!!! ZERO, ZILCH, NADA, NONE. I am impulsive and YET I have not made a purchase. Ok, it's a damn lot of money to fork over....it's a HUGE decision and a fun one all at the same time. OK....enough about the bike. It will happen by Christmas (or the weekend after if it kills me).

So, the hubby and I have started a fun new fitness program. We are in week #3 and it's pretty good so far. Lot's more lifting than either of us has done in a long time but we are loving it. Some ploymetrics, yoga (which we avoid when we can), stretching and LIFTING. The nutrition plan is the really hard part. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and YES I WILL CHEAT at least a little. I am taking in more protein and fewer carbs right now than I ever have. God help me the PASTA queen!!! Another week and we work in a little more of the things I love to eat. It hasn't been all bad really. It's only 90 days total and I think I can stick to anything for that short of a time. At least I hope so. We did measurements and before pictures....SO.....when I am all ripped (ha ha ha) I'll post the before and after pics so you can see. Hee hee hee. I just hope to see SOME RESULTS. Goodness knows we're working for them.

did my first spinning class last night in about 6 months. I left the Y and remembered why I love biking so much...It's fun and you sweat your ass off!!! I LOVE TO SWEAT!!

So, I am just rambling. I'll let you get back to whatever it is you like to do. Have a wonderful, fattening Thanksgiving. And please have some pumpkin pie for ME!!!

La Crosse 1/2 Marathon in May......????? Not sure yet!

2008-10-10T13:45:00.002-05:00

Decisions Decisions

I sold my bike. I know, I can't believe it either. She may never forgive me for letting her go BUT she went to a good home. A "newbie" will be putting her to good use. So the quest for a NEW BIKE has begun. Ok, let me explain a little. I rode a 2005 Felt S32. Beautiful - RED. Loved her to death. My husband....the RUNNER....has a beautiful QR Lucero that he put about 100 miles tops on this summer. He'd rather run I guess!! Back issues stuff like that. I on the other hand would rather RIDE! So we made a decision to sell. Sell both bikes and invest the earnings in a new, sweet ride for yours truly. Woo hoo. I am excited yes. Who wouldn't be.

OK NOW someone PLEASE buy my hubby's bike so I have some $$$ to spend! :) It will be on eBay soon....having some issues with my eBay account apparently.....GRRRRRRRRRR

Now, I have the dilema of what to buy. No clue what I want. Been searching, researching, drooling, dreaming. You get the jist. I'm leaning toward 2. 2009 Felt B12 (B2 if there is anyway I can afford it) or a 2009 Orbea Ora. The Orbea looks VERY similar to my Felt I let go. RED with white lettering. Both are carbon frames...hoping to get Dura components...blah blah.

Any of you that know me at all know I HAVE NO PATIENCE. This is killing me. I want it NOW. 09's aren't in till mid-November for goodness sake. So i keep looking on the internet. waiting and waiting. God help me.

2008-09-10T15:26:00.003-05:00

IronMan MOO (WI)

We spent the day Sunday following around 25 fellow triathletes as they embarked on the WI IronMan race in Madison, WI. It was truly humbling to say the least. I have attended this race the past 3 years and each year I return home excited and ready for next season. Yes, yes, I will do this IronMan thing someday. Can't say how soon (not 2009 for sure) at this point. It will depend on the more important people in my life, my husband and children and the craziness of our summer schedule. Training for an event this HUGE will be one of the biggest time commitments I will experience and we will ALL have to be on board for it to ever happen. So, for now, I will continue to follow around all you crazy people. Screaming and cheering and jumping around!!

They were all amazing and they all have their own stories to tell. They had accomplishments and major disappointments too. Some finished some did not but they are all truly amazing in my mind. They "tri-ed".

Check out the photos my brother took along the course. You may see some familiar faces and a few unfamiliar as well. PHOTOS These are Soooooo SWEET!!! Look at the SMILES on the faces of these athletes. They truly enjoyed the journey to become IRONMAN!

Thank you to each and every one of you for inspiring me to SWIM-BIKE-RUN.

2008-09-09T11:57:00.003-05:00

Your Prayers are Needed.

Friend and fellow Cyclist, Mike Kabat, was in a cycling accident last week. He is in need of all of your thoughts and prayers. Here is a link to the Carringbridge website that has been set up to keep everyone up to date on his progress. Mike's injuries are such that he will never walk again and as an avid athlete, that is some of the most devastating news one can receive. PLEASE keep him and his family in your prayers. It's amazing what the power of prayer can do.

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/mikekabat

Thank you and PLEASE RIDE SAFELY!!!

2008-08-27T08:53:00.002-05:00

RAGNAR

I haven't had time to post the Ragnar Fun we had. If you are impatient and interested, visit my brothers BLOG and look at his Twitter updates for now! I'll post soon.

2008-08-21T15:05:00.000-05:00

Now that says it all. Sorry again Mom!

2008-08-21T14:50:00.002-05:00

Ragnar Relay Time

It's here. We start at 8:30 tomorrow morning. 8 women and 4 men. Our team includes (in running order): Friend (Ellen), Brother (Collin), Sister-in-law (Amy), ME, Hubby (Jon), Friend (Slade), Friend (KellyJo), KellyJo's friend (Alyssa), Friend (Shelby), Friend and fellow Bluffbuster (Sonya), Cousin (Nate) and Cousin's wife (Jodi). We are the BLAZING TURTLES and a blazing we will be!

Here's the RUNNER DISTANCE CHART. Some will be challenged (ok most of us will be). Amy is new to running this year and her first leg got bumped from 6 miles to 9.5! UGH. She will conquer the distance I just know it. My first leg is 8 miles and that will be a challenge for me as my training has dwindled a bit since the half. I will NOT walk! I may run slowly but I will NOT walk.

We should be done around 3:30 p.m. on Saturday. Hopefully no one gets lost or abducted during the night! :) (kidding Mom).

Wish us well....

I run for HOPE, I run to FEEL, I run for the truth for all that is real. I run for your Mother, your Sister, your Wife. I run for you and me my firend. I run for LIFE! (I Run for Life by:Melissa Ethridge)

Train hard. LIVESTRONG.

2008-08-08T15:24:00.002-05:00

Recovery and staying motivated

Recover from my HalfIron was not as bad as I thought. 2 days of very sore legs and some definite weight gain! Serves me right, I am still eating like I did during heavy training. I'm an addict I swear.

I have been what some would call LAZY these past weeks since the race. I took a full week off to recover knowing that I would need to get back into running quickly as the Ragnar Relay is this month. It's hard to get back in the swing of things. Maybe my brain needed recovery too. I just feel plain lazy. I do miss my biking though. Truly miss it.

So since the race I have logged 45 miles on my bike (2 rides) and 11 miles running. That's it!!! Over 3 weeks, well 2 if you take out the recovery week! :) First run hurt like hell. I feel a tightness in my lungs lately running and was thinking it is the humidity. I hope so but it is annoying!! It will get better, I know.

It felt great to ride my bike again. The ride I did this past Sunday was a blast. I got to ride Tandem with Dan from River Trails. What a different experience that was! I am desperately trying to talk Jon into getting a tandem for us! It's soooo cool!

Ragnar is just 2 weeks from today. My first leg is 8 miles, 2nd is 5 and last is 4. It will be so much fun I am sure. We had a planning meeting last week and got things all set and organized. The day after that, Sunday Aug 24th, I will be doing a 100 mile bike ride with a group. I was on the "secret invite" list and am very excited...and a bit nervous too. I hope I can handle that distance especially after Ragnar. My last Ragnar run is Saturday morning so I will have a good 20 hours to recover....

2008-07-21T18:14:00.003-05:00

Door County Half IronMan

I did it! Not gracefully but I did it. Goal #1 was finish and so mission accomplished.

We took off for Door County (Horseshoe Bay near Egg Harbor) around 9:30 Saturday morning. The ride went fast as we were both pretty anxious to get there and register and check out the water! I just wanted to check out the water. As you may know from past posts, swimming is NOT my strength. I was very nervous about how the water conditions would be. We checked into our hotel in Sturgeon Bay and then proceeded to the race site just 15 minutes away. It was a beautiful location to say the least. We registered and picked up our shwag. I was happy to see the half-iron and sprint shirts were a little different. Heck, I had worked hard to get to this point right? :)

We took a stroll down to the beach and dipped out toes in the water. Temps were expected to be COLD but the water actually felt nice. It looked fairly calm from where we stood so we decided to walk out on the pier to get a closer look at the half-iron course. Waters were a bit wavy and I just prayed that things would calm down a bit by morning. The course looked swimmable at least! We hung out for the "race talk" and then headed back to our hotel.

Sunday morning started out to be a beautiful morning. Hubby and I woke around 5:00 unable to sleep any longer. I had been awake since 4:00. UGH. Tried to force down some breakfast as I knew it was going to be a long day for me. Eating was nearly impossible. We headed out about 6:20. It was a FOGGY drive. We got to the park and were surprised to see the line into the park wasn't bad. We parked and grabbed our gear. The fog was so thick you couldn't even see the bouy's in the water!! Maybe for the best considering what was out there!

About 7:40 we slipped into our wetsuits and headed to the beach to take a warm-up dip. Well, there was no warming up to be had! Water temps had fallen to 62 degrees. That's COLD! Ok I thought, I can live with cold. The water seemed pretty calm at that point. Wave #1 was Elite Men, #2 was Elite Women, #3-7 were the rest of the men by age groups and I was in wave #8. The whistle sounded and off we went. We had to swim parallel with the Pier first. Once we got out past the Pier we turned right and swam about 700 yards. The bouy's,,starting at this first turn point, were numbered, 1-40, so you sort of knew how far you had left to go. They were 50 yards apart. The water beyond the Pier was warmer BUT it was definitely a lot rougher too. BIG SWELLS and I knew I needed to keep my cool. Our next turn was again to the left at bouy 13 if I recall correctly. We went that way about 50 yards. It was at that point that I started thinking "how the hell am I going to do this? The waves are HUGE. Ok self, just don't panic, just swim and get through this." We turned left again and had to go about 950 yards back. I held on to bouy #15 for a minute and rode the waves out a little. I was just not prepared for this kind of water. It was what I feared most. BUT I WAS NOT QUITTING. So, I took off heading for the next bouy. Front crawl....breast stroke (if you can call it that)....crawl.....breast stroke....UGH this is not fun! I basically swam bouy to bouy and when I reached the next one I eather decided to keep going to the next one or I took a rest and held on. I had a few lifeguards ask if I was ok and I said "I think I'm fine, thanks" all the while I'm thinking....Can you just stay alongside me please!! :) Well after 1 hour and 4 minutes I FINALLY made it out of the water. Yes, I made it. Never once did I think about quitting and for that I was greatful!

Wet suit strippers helped me out of my suit and I was in T1. Dried off as best I could and slipped a PBJ sandwich in my shirt pocket and off I went on the bike. (I had my cell phone on my bike so at mile 1 I called my mom to let her know I didn't drown!) :) Love you Mom!

The bike was great. Pretty flat and the hills they warned us about were NOTHING like we have here. The sprint course shared the same first 9 miles as the Half course so I was watching for my hubby but must have missed him. At the halfway point I was averaging 18.8 MPH which I was happy about. At that rate I'd make it back in 3 hours or less. The second half was a bit more challenging though. Some headwind in areas and a few more rollers and of course fatigue set in too. My average speed for the whole bike was 17.8 which I was happy with. Bike time 3:10.

My hubby met me in T2 and we chatted as I changed socks and got my running stuff on. Had to take a potty break too!! LONG transition over 4 minutes but I still had a long way to go and I wanted to make sure I had everything I'd need on the run! Stuffed some food in my back pocket and was off.

The first few miles were tough. I got a side ache I think from the water I had just drank coming out of transition. I walked and tried to stretch it out. Along came my wonderful husband behind me on his bike! It was so good to see him as I was struggling with those demons in my head a little. We chatted about the swim and the bike some and he encouraged me to keep fueling and walk if I needed to. He just sort of folloewd me and rode next to me and in front.... Helped keep my mind occupied a little. He stayed with me for about 5 miles and then let me face the rest on my own. Just beyone mile 9 there is the BLUFF the race is famous for. Their slogan is "Tough Enough to Conquer the BLUFF?" Well let's just say there is NO WAY anyone can RUN that hill. I could barely walk it after nine miles of running. Up to then I was close to averaging 10 min/mile. That I was happy with. That hill took a toll on me however. I walked it and then walked the rest of the way to mile marker 10. The last 3 miles were the toughest. I knew they would be. I walked some and ran some and ended up with a run time of 2:36. I thought that was ok considering I did the Madison half Marathon in 2:07 and there was no 56 mile bike before that!

Total race time 6:59:24 Snuck in just under 7 hours (which was goal #2).

I highly recommend this race to anyone. Both the long and short courses were great. Support was phenomenol to say the least.

Thank you to all of you who sent me well wishes and supported me through training. Espically YOU Jon (you never once complained about the time I had to put in training and for that I am grateful. Oh yes, I'm greatful for the laundry fairy too!!!). I needed you all very much to accomplish this. Your support and encouragement are so appreciated. Will I do it again? Possibly. For now I will work on getting ready for the Ragnar Relay and then we'll see what next season brings.

Are YOU tough enough???

2008-07-11T09:45:00.002-05:00

CRASH!

Last Sunday, the 5th, I had a 60+ mile bike ride planned with a friend (group ride). We were heading through Trempleau to Winona, up Garvin Heights (nice hill!) and back. The ride to Winona was sweet. Pretty flat ride but we weren't out to work too hard. We rode the hill at Gravin Heights took in the sights and headed back down....FAST! Well, a little too fast maybe. I only hit 38.5MPH but my firend hit 43.5. As I came around a corner....there was Kelly, on the other side of the road, picking up her water bottle and her bike. She had taken a nasty spill, hit her head pretty hard too. We are pretty sure she had a concussion. Ended up calling my hubby to come get the two of us as there was no way I was letting her attempt to ride home. She's ok, thank goodness...might take those hills a little slower next time!

2008-07-03T15:35:00.002-05:00

Training this week

Sunday was the Oly. Monday my hubby and I did a flat 15 miles on the Prairie. It was a nice ride on some great roads. Tuesday I biked with my favorite group from River Trails. We did 30 miles some flat some hills. Overall a good ride. Wednesday I swam 2000M. Tried to just keep going...no breaks. It was a pretty good swim. I shoudl have done a long run BUT I just wasn't feeling it. Thus I opted for the swim. This morning I woke to the wonderful alarm at 4:55a.m. I really needed to get in a run. Anything but preferably about 5 miles. I talked myself into 4 and ended up doing 3.25. Just not a good run day. Tomorrow we're going to a Brewer game so I'll eat lots of bad food and get no training in and just have fun with the fam. Perfect day!

Saturday is the La Crosse Chileda Classic Run. Jon and I volunteered to lead out the runners on our bikes. Should be pretty fun! Then I hope to get in a long run. I'm aiming for...no, I'm doing 8-9 miles. Sunday there's a group ride I'm doing. 62 miles. Woo hoo.

Have a great 4th!

2008-07-03T15:02:00.002-05:00

First Oly

As the alarm sounded Sunday morning at 3:40 a.m. I once again felt those nerves I always feel. The dread of what I have to do in just a few hours. The hours and days of training...but have I done enough. After the traditional trip to the potty (those of you who know me know race day brings many trisp to the potty), I got dressed in all my gear, made a PBJ sandwich and threw my race bag in the back of the truck. Left the house about 4:20 to pick up my firend Sonya. We were off to Rochester for my first Olympic distance race. GULP!

We got there with plenty of time, almost too much, but that was ok with both of us really. Registered, body marked, timing chips, set up transition...and of course another trip to the potty! :) Sonya and I took a walk down to check out the water....ugh...nerves...that looks like a LONG way to have to swim. But the water was calm and they had lots of bouy's and a "noodle" line" the entire sprint course. The back half of the Oly just had bouy's. I can do this, I can. Sonya and I decided it was a good idea to get in the water and warm up a little. It was beautiful (especially with a wetsuit). I was feeling confident.

So we lined up for the swim. Keep in mind, the olympic distance swim was 2 laps. Between the laps you had to exit the water and run across a timing mat to get a split. Pretty cool stuff. Oly waves were first. Men and women combined. I was in Wave 4 with 2 fellow BluffBusters. I was a bag of nerves but remained considerably calm because I know the more nervous I get the more chance I have to panic! Waves went out every 3 minutes. Believe it or not, the two leaders from wave one were starting their SECOND LOOP as we counted down from 10 for our wave to start. I'm thinking...this could get complicated when the sprint waves start. 3-2-1 Off we went. Though I knew it would be reflected in my swim time....I started back farther in the pack than I normally like to because I didn't want big guys swimming over me. .95 miles is a long way to go you know! I felt good. My goggles fogged up pretty quickly which made sighting bouy's a little difficult. So, I stopped and pulled them off and cleared them. Off I went again.....fogged again. I didn't have a problem until we turned a corner right into the sun and I couldn't see the bouy's. :) Had to clear the lenses again. I finished the first lap and as I'm running across the timing mat...10-9-8-7...A sprint distance wave was starting. I tried to get out ahead of them but they were running into the water. I just hopped in and swam with them. 2 individuals got about 150 M and were hanging on to the noodle line. Social little girl that I am...I offered them both a few words of encouragement. "You guys can do this!" Second lap went well. Finished the swim, much slower than my teammates, (of course they have all done this distance before!! :) ) with a time of 34:58.

LONG run across the beach and up the HILL across the parking lot to transition. T1=2:45 WOWZA! Off on the 25 mile bike. Miles 1-12.5 were directly into a headwind but I fought through. I was just so glad to be out of the water!!! At about mile 14 you go through a residential area. If it weren't for a guy passing me and taking a left, I would have gone straight and been screwed. Thank you Mr. Stranger in the red and blue jersey! I love you!!! I took in a full aero bottle of Gatorade Endurance (that's what they will have at Door COunty) in hope that it wouldn't come back to bite me on the run. I tend to cramp up with too much fluid. Returning miles were with the wind at my back and they were sweet. Bike time 1:25:06 (17.4 MPH ave. I believe). T2=1:04

Off on the run. I have to say this was the most beautiful run I have ever been on. What a great trail with great scenery. I wanted test hydration and nutrition a little during this. So I set out on the run with a plan to WALK the water stops and take in something at every one. I did exactly that. There's even a picture of me walking through one water stop. I look like I'm for sure not doing a race!!! This worked well for me though it hurt my run time considerably. I didn't cramp up at all but I really had to pee!!! Run time 1:00:19 (yikes 10 min/miles).

My goal was 3 hours and I finished in 3:04:10. Gained a little confidence for Door County's swim (though the water will be about 20 degrees colder and WAY rougher). Pray for a CALM day please!!

2008-06-27T08:53:00.001-05:00

A MUST read for all you IronMman folks!

http://becomingironman.blogspot.com/2008/06/this-is-why.html

2008-06-26T14:55:00.002-05:00

Time Flies

This Sunday is the Rochester Tri. First time at this longer distance but a good lead into the 1/2 Iron in July. Though it should technically be a taper week for me, I looked at the calendar on Sunday and realized I had 4 weeks till Door County not 5. Yikes. So I decided no to taper too much and to use this weekend's race as a training day for the half. Seems fair.

Saturday i rode 40 miles on a nice flat course. It was a bit windy on the way out but heading back was fun! I averaged about 16MPH on the way our and 22MPH on the way home! Woo hoo.

Sunday Jon and I planned to run 6 miles. We went out with some scary skies coming our way and hoped for the best. WELL... Thunder and rain cut our run to 4 miles. It was kind of refreshing to run in the rain though.

Monday was a brick workout for me. My plan said 60 minutes bike/30 minutes run. That's pretty close to what I did. I cut the run shorter (20 minutes...2.5 miles) so I could make it to my son's baseball game on time. I had almost forgotten how those legs feel from bike to run. :)

Tuesday was a swim day. I did a mile in the pool and practiced sighting and also stopped and treaded to fix my goggles. You never know what race day will bring!

Wednesday Jon and I did a late evening run of 6 miles. It was pretty warm throughout the day, upper 80's so we waited till the sun went down before we ventured out. It was a pretty good run for me. I decided to run with no Garmin. Just see how I feel and adjust from that. I'm sure we were pretty slow but not every run has to be all out. The lightning bugs were amazing in the wooded area we ran through.

Tonight - planning a swim again. I dropped my bike off for a quick tune-up last night so I'll probably hope on that tomorrow for a short easy ride. Just to make sure it's all good! and then Saturday nothing. Take it easy and get nervous about Sunday's race.

I'll give you a race report when I return Sunday or early next week.

2008-06-20T16:26:00.002-05:00

Productivity - If watching baseball games only counted as training!!!

Let's recap this week. I feel like I'm running out of time. First Oly is next Sunday and then it will be 4 weeks to the Half-iron. Gulp. I'm going to start to freak soon.

Good luck to all my fellow triathletes that are heading to HighCliff this weekend. I will miss being their this year......... :( But we have Baseball to attend to.

Last Sunday I joined my normal cycling group at 4:30 and since most ot them had ridden "Minds-In-Motion" the prior day (62 miles) they weren't up for a very long or exhauusing ride. We had been camping ALL weekend (and Sam was in a baseball tournament) so of course, I did nothing. Well maybe some walking but that's technically not exercise! So we biked a nice FLAT course of about 20 miles and called it a night.

Monday I decided to get in a ride before Al's baseball game (we play baseball every day of the week you know) so I headed out with about 1.5 hours to get my butt to Trempleau. I ended up fighting the damn wind once again and got in a 20 miler. I NEED TO GO LONG darn it! 20 miles does nothing for me.

Tuesday night (after another baseball game which Sam's team won 29 to 2) I hit the outdoor pool and it felt great. Why is it that the pool is open for laps from 8 to 9 but by 8:40 the lifeguard is staring you down with a look like you killed his mother because you are still there. So what if I was the ONLY person at the pool and he had to keep working. Cripes, get over it. I NEED to swim. Don't you understand?????? I got out at 8:45 after completing 1500M. I wanted to do 2000M but couldn't handle the stress of the staredown!!

Wednesday morning I woke early for a great 3 mile run. It felt good and I was pretty darn fast for this super slow runner/triathlete. All 3 miles in the 8:45-8:50 min/mile pace. That's flying for me!!! Too bad I can't maintain that for a half huh? :) I was happy when I got home. That night I intended to ride again...Windy of course so, I decided not to go and I made a real dinner for my family. Imagine that. I took time out to cook (of course then we had a baseball game at 7:00 which Al's team WON!).

Took Thursday off cuz I had a Board meeting to go to and then a baseball game(shich Sam's team won 11 to 1)....see the pattern here....then when my alarm went off at 5:00 a.m. today I decided there was no way I was running with my head POUNDING the way it was....so I slacked off again today...Oh and did I mention I have to be at a baseball game in an hour???

Tomorrow I WILL get in at least a 3 hour ride. Need to keep my ARS in shape for riding. Sunday I will do a good run in the 6 - 7 mile range. My last long run was an 8 miler a week ago and I about died....

Have a great weekend...See ya at the ball fields! :) I really do love baseball games. Just maybe not so darn many in a row!

2008-06-12T07:21:00.002-05:00

Olympic Distance Cancelled for Got Energy

Mother Nature has been evil to us this past week. Dumping up to 10 inches of rain in local areas. We are experiencing flooding in communities and it sucks. The storms did not let up much for the Got Energy Tri on Sunday and the Olympic distance race was cancelled. It was a bummer. They did hold the Sprint distance race but I did not compete as I did not want to risk injury. This was not my "A" race for the season. Door County 1/2 IronMan is and that's a month and a half away yet. Not worth the risk in my mind.

Because it was cancelled, I registered for another Olympic distance race the end of this month. Rochesterfest Triathlon. Looks like it could be a fun one!

Training this week has been minimal. I am really struggling with schedules and of course the weather. I biked just under 30 miles Sunday with friends that were also supposed to race Got Energy but opted out. The weather broke and was beautiful for about 2 hours that afternoon so we sunck in a good ride. Wednesday morning I got up early and went for a 4 mile run. Felt pretty good and I think morning training is going to have to be the way I go. I was hoping to get in an 8 miler today....Of course it is pouring outside right now. Not doing 8 on the treadmil...maybe 5. We'll see what the weather does.

Stay tuned.

2008-06-06T14:15:00.002-05:00

I HATE WIND

So last week Thursday I was a good little triathlete in training. Headed to the lake for a nice open water swim. Got there and realized....um, it's WINDY and the water looks really really scary. May I won't swim. But I told people I'd be here to swim with them....oh a dilema. Ugh, I don't want to go in that wavy scary water.... I stepped into my wonderful wetsuit thinking...ok, I'll at least get IN the water. That can't hurt except it was COLD! Then I decided after a few minutes that would just swim a little ways out and come back. Welllllll normally when we swim at the lake, we swim across (approximately .2 miles) and then come back. As I was swimming along I decided this was good experience and I could do a lap. It wouldn't kill me. So I swam almost all the way across. BUT the other swimmers that were there and are a lot faster than me and started ahead of me...were heading back toward me. So rather than go the additional 10 yards I just turned around and headed back. WELL let me tell you, I got almost half way back and my body decided it needed to freak out panic...I'm looking around thinking...I'm out here all alone (cuz the other swimmers were way ahead of this slow swimmer)....there's noone to help me if I start to freak out...but I am freaking out...just swim....i can't swim....just freaking swim...flip on the back....take some breaths....gulp....was that a big wave or what....flip back....ahhhhhh the breast stroke.....ok just breathe....you can do this.....how will I ever swim .9 miles in a week and a half....OMG....then I started swimming again. WHEW I made it back. That really sucked and did a number on mu confidence in my swim let me tell ya.

Ok, so to prove to myself that I AM A GOOD SWIMMER, I went back Saturday morning. Calm waters. :) FREEZING COLD but calm. Swam a mile. No problem (well I couldn't feel my feet when I got out!). Whew I needed that!!! Good for the confidence. Of course when we biked after the swim the DAMN WIND sucked!

So last night I headed back again for one last swim before the Intermediate Tri this Sunday. It was super windy, the water looked SCARY and I decided that I would sit this one out. Went home and ran instead.

Please say a prayer that we have decent weather Sunday. Today (Friday) is windy as hell with expected t-storms. That's ok though...we have 2 days for Mother Nature to get this out of her system right???

I CAN DO IT!!! I AM A SWIMMER! :)

2008-05-26T17:49:00.002-05:00

Week's Recap and MADISON Half-Marathon

I'll start with a recap of the last week. Last Saturday an friend of mine and I biked the Westby, WI Syttende Mai Bike tour. 100K through beautiful country roads and let me tell you, I hated the word HILL and WIND by the time we finished. :) It was challenging but I'm glad I decided to do it. It proved to be a good training decision for me. That Sunday my husband and I headed out for my last LONG run before the Madison Half-Marathon. Jon signed up for the FULL again this year with hopes that he'd recover quickly from the Ultra he did mid-April. Blisters kept him from needed long runs and he resorted to doing my long runs with me instead. THANK GOD!!! He pulled me along through a couple runs I would have struggled with alone. So that Sunday we did a 10 miler on the wooded and a bit hilly trails in Holmen. The wind has been a constant training challenge this year so we often opt for the somewhat protected trails. It was a difficult run for me after biking 62 miles Saturday but I got through it. Took Monday and Tuesday off because we had a lot of stuff going on. (One of which was Jon's birthday)

Wednesday I ran to my son's baseball scrimage. 4.5 miles and felt Great!! I was averaging under 9 minute miles and that's flying for me!! Got home and the boys and I headed to the Y to get in a short swim. (1200M) Thursday night was my first Open Water swim for the season. The new wet suit was great and I did 1/2 mile and decided to shoot for a mile next week. Open water is SO very different than that wonderful pool with lane lines to keep you on track!

Friday was a day of rest and hydration. We headed to Madison after work for a weekend of FUN!!

Saturday I met up with a group of folks from our tri club to take on the WI IronMan bike course. I had one lap planned for a total of 65-70 miles. I was very nervous about even doing the ride knowing I had a half-marathon to run on Sunday but decided it was good training experience for my half-ironman in July. The course was TOUGH to say the least and I thank God for the folks that I rode with. It was a humbling ride to say the least! At one point Iwas all by myself and yelled "Cristen....You adr NOT and IRONMAN!!!" I cussed the wind and the hills many times. I struggled the first 30 miles to stay with the big lead group but resolved to the reality that those real IronMan folks are just a step above me in trianing. I waited for the slower group to catch up and hang with them. Good decision!

Sunday was the Madison Marathon and Half-Marathon. I had a goal of just beating last years time. I would have LOVED to have finished at the 2:00 mark but was pretty sure that was too lofty of a goal. I felt pretty good most of the day. Struggled through a few of the later miles and ended up with a chip time of 2:07:51. Just about a minute faster than last year. I felt pretty good about my time considering the ride I had done the day before. Hope for JULY when I have to do it all in one day!

Jon finished his marathon with a time of 4:00:26. I am very proud of him. Let me also mention the fact that my brother did his very first marathon this year. He FINISHED it and close to his goal time. I am very proud of him as well. A dear friend of mine, you know who you are, also had a first in Madison. First half-marathon and she also finished right around her goal time. Way to go. I love you all and am very proud of you. :)

So now the hafl-iron training goes on. Keep me on track please!!! I'm going to need all the encouragement I can get!!!

2008-05-15T15:37:00.002-05:00

Training Update

Next week is the Madison half-marathon. Training is going pretty well I think. Last week was a "run focus" week but I didn't get in quite as many miles as I would have liked due to my crazy schedule and the wonderful rain we get CONSTANTLY.

Went to the pool Monday 5/5 at 8:15 and was promptly told that they were on "summer hours" and the pool closed at 8:30....DAMN! So I turned around and went home. Did get to the pool that Tuesday and got in about 1200M. The following night I did a short 15mi bike ride and then a 4mi run. Did a morning 3mi run that Friday and then Sunday ran 9 miles with the hubby in the wind and drizzly crap then i was off to the pool for 1500M. My boys shared my lane with me for a while too! Good practice for open water since Alex likes to screw around and get in my way. It's amazing to me a 9 year old can do laps...I would have died trying as a kid. Sam stays on his side and just swims and swims. Overall I'd say it was a good week. (Not enough biking for my liking though...please make the rain and wind STOP!!) We had spent the whole day Saturday at the baseball field watching Sam play. I love that...feels like summer!

This week I had a meeting Monday after work so I only got in a 17mi bike ride. Tuesday swam 1500M (with Alex). Biked 29 miles last night with a couple friends and it was BEAUTIFUL out!
I have a run planned for tonight. 7 miles. BUT I have a wonderful meeting so I guess I'll have to see what time I get home. Maybe I can drag my hubby out with me! He IS training for a marathon that is next weekend....sure he could use a run too. :) Saturday is the Westby Syttende Mai bike tour. Planning 100K (62 miles). Hopefully there's a good turnout cuz more people makes it a little more fun! 10 mile run Sunday then TAPER TIME!!!! Maybe I'll just swim a lot next week!!!

2008-05-04T19:18:00.004-05:00

First LONG Ride of the Season

16 of us braved the annual "Pie Ride" starting in Houston, MN round trip to Lanesboro, Mn and back. We did 64 miles total and it was great. The ride gets it's name because of the stop we make around mile 37 at the "Aroma Pie Shop" in Wahlen, MN. Makes all that work so worth it. The ride went pretty well for me. I have never gone that distance so it was quite a milestone for me personally. I hit a little wall about mile 57 feeling really burnt but I pushed through it and finished strong! A great way to spend a beautiful Sunday. :)

Saturday my hubby and I did an 8 mile run. It was tough but necessary. We opted out of the St. Claire Health Mission run this year and got a little extra sleep!

Thursday ran a 5 miler, Tuesday did a 29 mile bike ride with the River Trails Group and Monday and Wednesday I swam for a total of 3700M...not bad.

Overall it was a good week. My plan focuses on the RUN this week and the BIKE next week. Should get in some great miles.

2008-04-28T19:11:00.002-05:00

WETSUIT

I finally pulled the trigger and bought a wetsuit. Gotta love eBay!! Quintana Roo Superfull. Looking forward to trying her out in lake Neshonic!!! Please bring the SUN!!!!!!

2008-04-18T20:56:00.003-05:00

It's Raining...It's Pouring...It's really really boring!! :)

Raining today and it's cold too. Bummer. I've gotten in some good miles this week running and biking, Oh ya a SWIM too. Sunday the Y pool was super busy when I got there (had to share a lane with 4 people). I swam 30 laps and had to push pretty hard to keep out of the way of others in my lane. Good practice for race day I guess. After that I was looking forward to running.....Monday i ran 5 with a short break in the middle to watch my son try out for baseball. Unfortunately he did not make the B team. He's ok with playing on a C team this year as it's his first year in 12 and Under. He makes me so proud. He's an amazing kid. Working hard to earn a new HARO bike he's got his eye on. We said we'd pay half and he's earning the rest. $200+ on a kids bike that will get the crap beat out of it seems like a lot but I'd rather see him using that and getting exercise than playing PS2.

Tuesday was horribly windy. 35-45 MPH gusts. I hoped to ride with the group from River Trails for the first time this year but only 2 of us showed up. We got lucky and another cycling group met near the same place so we hooked up with them and headed out into the wind. It was me and 7 guys!! :) I was feeling a little intimidated. One younger guy got a flat in the first mile and took a while changing his rear tube. Then we were off. I was 4th in line and hung in for the whole ride. The side gusts were scary and almost knocked me off my bike. We had one great guy that pulled the worst part for us. We did a 24 mile loop on pretty flat roads and boy let me tell ya...coming home with the wind at our backs was a blast. 28.8 MPH on a flat baby!!! Weeeeeeeee. I was so excited that I was able to keep up and stay with the group. I would have DIED out there in that wind alone.

Wednesday I did my long run for the week as I wasn't sure what the weekend weather would be bringing. It was 72 degrees and we were expecting rain the rest of the week. I ran the trails at Halfway Creek Park as it was still really windy and this trail is more protected and covered. I did a total of 8 miles in just under 80 minutes. A little slow but I was focusing on not pushing too fast as my plan said to keep it really easy. The last mile sucked...right into a headwind....but I made it. Longest run this training season. Yeah!

I had hoped to do a trial run for the Coulee Duathlon on Saturday but it looks like RAIN so I will be doing that Sunday and running Saturday instead. 6 miles planned and a 2 hour bike on Sunday of which 17 miles will be the Du course. Then I plan to get in a swim again either Saturday or Sunday (though I should do both!).

Next week is a recovery week and I have 3 4mile runs planned and some easy rides...Oh ya...I need to SWIM too!!!

2008-04-06T18:35:00.003-05:00

Training Update
What a beautiful weekend!

After a LONG week traveling for work I was soooo ready to hit the streets. I only got in a 4 mile run and a 2 mile walk Tues - Fri so I was feeling BAD!!!

Finally got out on my bike with a group of about 15 Saturday. The wind was wicked but it was worth it to get off the trainer. We logged about 25 miles and it felt great. Fighting the wind is sure different than it is on my trainer!!! hee hee.

Ventured to the pool Saturday night with the kids and got in about 1500 meters. I took a look at my calendar and worked on getting a schedule set for the next couple weeks so I can get in more pool time. Now that I am done traveling for a while things should really start to settle in for me for training.

We did a 7 mile run this morning (Sunday) on the trails. It was a little muddy and I was surely feeling the bike from the previous day. Not exactly a "good run day" but I made it through. Yea!

Happy training all! I'll keep you posted on progress.

2008-03-18T16:25:00.002-05:00

Getting Warmer.... :)

I've gotten a few runs in outside the past couple weeks and I'm loving it. We did 5.25 with our friends Angie and Slade Sunday and it felt great. Legs were a little tired as I had done 90 minutes on the trainer Saturday. My hubby and I put in an hour last night on our trainers as well. Watched some dumb weightloss/bootcamp show to help pass the time. I realized I have a lot more motivation with music in my ears that the TV on though. I am dying to get out on the roads with my bike. SOON. VERY SOON. We need a good rain to wash away all the darn sand and salt out there. (I'd hate to get my bike dirty!)

18 weeks until the big race. Man time flies! I'm trying to stick to my training plan. We had company this weekend so I did not get to the pool. That is where I really need to focus and get my time in. I have to figure out a schedule for swimming and stick to it. That just might mean a really early morning swim at least once a week. I will be trying to sit down at the beginning of each week to plan out my training for that week. I have some travel coming up the next couple weeks so that always throws things off a bit. You know how wonderful those hotel "fitness centers" can be!!!

Our team for the Ragnar Relay is officially registered. Our team name is the Blazing Turtles! Thought that was a pretty cute name and fitting for some of us! Check out the website for more information!

2008-03-05T14:10:00.000-06:00

ULTRA Anyone??

Check out this link.

My husband and our friend Slade will be doing this 50km next month. They are logging tons of miles and seem to be loving it.

Chippewa 50 Ultra Marathon

Good luck men!!!

2008-03-03T15:38:00.000-06:00

Let the training begin....

Ok, sorry it has been absolutely forever since I have posted. A lot has gone on and training is in the early stages right now. Jumped back in by completing the Indoor IronMan at the YMCA again this year. I had 7.2 miles left to run and got really sick (in bed for 3 days, sick) BUT I got it done last week! Yeah. It was my excuse to get my butt in the pool and it worked. Got in a few nice long swim workouts.

I have HUGE plans for this Tri season which include some longer distance races. In May, I will again be running the Madison Half Marathon. I did this run last year and it was quite a big accomplishment for me. In June, I will be competing in my first Olympic Distance Tri at the Got Energy Triathlon. This will be my first step beyond the Sprint distance Tri and seems a little daunting at this point. I need to focus on the swim first and foremost and work on those longer distances for the other sports as well. In July I will embark on my first Half IronMan. I am registered for the Door County Triathlon. This will be a huge undertaking for me but I am going in with the plan to FINISH it.

Just had my baby (my bike) in to the shop for some updates and a tune up. I have new handlebar tape to pretty her up, a new chain, new cassette (12/27 for those awesome hills in our area) and new Speed Play pedals. Of course the pedals meant new shoes too! Got some great Louis Garneau Tri shoes and I am excited to get into them! So, let the fun begin!

Yesterday was my first outdoor run in months! It was in the 50's finally and was really sloppy with lots of puddles. Needless to say, my feet were soaked when I got done. I only logged a mere 3.5 miles but I have just started my 1/2 marathon plan and it starts me out with low miles. I am recovering from being sick (still fighting a sinus infection) so I'm trying to take it a little easy!!!

Well, that's all for now. I'll be back much sooner than last time, I promise!

2008-01-04T10:57:00.000-06:00

Time to get RUNNING...

My hubby and I are doing The Ragnar Relay in August with my brother and sister-in-law and 8 other friends and family. Should be a great time!

2007-11-07T08:09:00.000-06:00

Great Song

Heard this at a cycling class the other night and it's worth sharing...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgiwrvEX8wY

If this isn't motivating not much is.

I received an email this week from Heather Haviland letting us know Team 4 will be again for 2008. You'll be hearing from me again in the future for donations!! This song sums it up for some of the women that are a part of Team 4.

2007-09-04T16:28:00.000-05:00

Some needed inspiration.

What would YOU do?

2007-08-29T21:07:00.000-05:00

Psssssssssssssssssssssssssssss.....

Oh the sound of a tire going flat!! Yep, got my first flat while riding tonight. Thank goodness I wasn't on a hill! :) We ventured out on a short ride because we didn't have much daylight and at mile 2.5 I flatted my rear tire. Got a little dirty but my hubby and I got it changed pretty quickly. I always wondered what it would feel like to flat...would I totally wipe out? Maybe if I were going 35mph down a hill... UGH.

I've been working on my motivation level the past week. Ran yesterday morning and biked tonight. I plan to run again tomorrow night. I think I have basically taken the last month off. It seems like earlier in the season when the kids were still in school I didn't feel so dang guilty leaving them to go out to do some training. Or I would squeeze in a run or bike while they were at baseball practice. The last month though I hate to get home and then just bail on them again. It's been hard to fit in the training time. It's getting dark earlier now too...

With Devil's Challenge just a couple weeks out and then the IronGirl Du I have to make time for training.

Our friend Slade is embarking on his first Ironman Sept 9th. Ironman WI. Good luck to you Slade!!! Maybe someday for me too! :)

2007-08-28T16:09:00.000-05:00

IRONSUNSHINE You Rock!

http://www.ironmanlive.com/columns/ironmanlife/kevin-mackinnon-catches-up-with-the-ford-everyday-hero#

This is a friend of mine from BluffBusters Tri Team. She's an inspiration to us all and teaches a kick ass spinning class too!!! Way to goat Louisville Danni.

2007-08-17T08:45:00.000-05:00

:)

Got in a 3 mile run last night after a long day (obviously feeling sorry for myself!). It felt great and actually brightened my mood a little. I think my body was saying...."please stop neglecting me".

Kornfest 2 miler tomorrow with Sam. Should be a fun one!

2007-08-16T15:57:00.000-05:00

Can you say "Slacker"?

It's been a rough couple weeks trying to get ANY training in. I feel like such a Slacker. UGH. We were on vacation in South Dakota Aug 4th through the 10th and I ran ONCE, a slow 3 miles the whole week. We spent our days sight seeing and riding the Harley and it was great. It's beautiful out there! I did manage to work in a 35 mile bike ride this past Sunday with the River Trails group. Felt great to be back n the saddle and they rode HARD. We've got a long camping weekend planned the 23-26th and I KNOW I will accomplish nothing there. I will also be in CT late in Sept for a few days. I have decided not to do the Oktoberfest half marathon. I just haven't been able to dedicate any time to training the mileage that distance requires. I plan to run the 2 mile fun run at our local festival this weekend. My son Sam, age 11, is running it too!! GO SAMMY! I've got a Tri Sept 15th, a Du the 23rd and I think I'll just plan on the 5-miler the 29th. Bummer but I will do another half next year!

My motivation level has been low lately. Burnt out maybe? I'm just not sure. Seems that there's always something else lingering and taking training time away. The kids are active, and that means so are mom and dad. Football registration, School orientation. Excuses? Maybe they are. Hopefully I can dig deep within and get my butt back out there. Planning on at least a 3 mile run tonight. Maybe a nice long ride this weekend too.

SOMEONE PLEASE SEND ME SOME INSPIRATION!!!! (Whaa whaa whaa, I'm such a whiner)

2007-07-30T15:34:00.000-05:00

Long Ride

My friend Slade is training for his first Iron Man. He was venturing out on a Century ride Sunday and was in need of some company so his wife Angie and I joined him for part of his ride. I was a perfect day for a ride Sunday morning. We headed out around 7:30 toward Trempleau and Galesville, WI from our houses. Angie and I rode with him until around mile 20 then had to head towards home. After a little "detour" down some terrible bumpy road (only about 5 miles out of our way) , we managed to make it back home. We rode a total of 45 miles. I think that's my longest ride so far. It wasn't too terribly bad either. Granted we weren't pushing it as hard as possible either. I must admit....I'm a little sore today.

2007-07-22T18:10:00.000-05:00

Castle Rock 2007

We headed to Castle Rock County Park for our annual camping trip and triathlon Thursday night. It was super windy and pulling the camper was not at all fun! We got to the park around 7:30 p.m. and set up with Grandma and Grandpa Terry for a beautiful weekend of fun. We could not have ordered better weather. We spent Friday playing, fishing and testing the waters swimming the route that was set up for the race Saturday. Very shallow in a few spots but swimming would definitely be required! After some pre-race "snacks" (smores, burnt marshmallows and ice cream) we headed to bed.

The campground was in a bustle before 7:00 a.m. and of course we were up before that (me in the restroom a few times of course!) Jon and I walked over and got marked with our numbers (Me 131 Jon 132) and then got our transition area all set up (still in our regular clothes). We headed back to camp to get dressed and eat something. A piece of toast was all my tummy was taking! I received my Team 4 tri top and shorts last week so I was "Racing for a Reason" this race. All decked out in PINK (even my swim cap)!

The pre-race meeting was at 8:30. They had 500 participants this year. A great turnout! We got lined up in waves on the beach around 8:45. The water at Castle Rock is very shallow and you can walk out quite a way. We had a water start and waves went out every 3 minutes. Jon and I were in wave 4 (I thought that was cool to be in wave 4 and racing Team 4). The swim was down parallel to the shoreline, around a bouy and back then in to shore. It went pretty well I thought. I decided to take my wet suit off in the water and I'm still not sure it was a good idea. I got it all off but I had a little trouble getting it over the timing chip on my left ankle. Finally it came off and then I was off out of the water. (Jon beat me out of the water...oh poo) Swim=8:52 (Jons swim was 8:40 only because his wetsuit came off easier!!!) :)

I tried not to waste too much time in transition by drying off. I figured the wind would take care of that. Socks on, shoes on, helmet and glasses on (Jon beat me out of transition.....oh poo!) T1=1:17 (Jon was 1:05) Off running with my bike and then jumped on the bike and I was going to RIDE HARD! There was a sucky headwind about the first 5 miles down this straight road. That was no fun but I pushed on. The rest of the bike went well I thought. I was "racing for a reason" and continued to remind myself that I was lucky to be out there. I think my average speed was around 19mph. Bike=51:45 (16 miles) (Jon's bike was 49:23 and T2=0:56)

Ran my bike into transition (hearing my kids yelling "Go Mom!!" That's so cool!) Bike shoes off..running shoes on..race belt on..helmet off..grab visor and go go go. Off on the run. T2=0:59

The run started out up a gradual incline and it was pretty sunny. I felt pretty good though. There's a nasty short hill at about mile 1 that I was determined NOT to walk up. There will be NO WALKING! I could see my fellow Bluffbuster Jen ahead about 20 yards but darn it I could NOT catch her...The last half mile + was off-road through the woods. Nice and cool but you really have to watch your footing. I think that slows you down. I could hear the spectators yelling and saw my boys just before the finish line. Run=28:45 (5K).

Overall time was 1:31:37 (16 seconds faster than last year! Whew that was close) It was a good race and I'm sure we'll be back next year!

2007-07-19T11:21:00.000-05:00

Thanks Bro!

I received this totally cool and inspiring link from my brother yesterday. It was very moving and motivating to me. He must have known I needed it!

http://cristen.houlihan.youaremighty.com/

Thanks Big Brother! Love you too!

2007-07-11T08:03:00.000-05:00

COACH CAM

Last night I wet to the Y in La Crosse to have my swim analyzed. The Bluff Busters Tri Team purchased an underwater "coach camera". The camera lens is underwater at the bottom of a long tube and the actual camera is held by the videographer above water (at the edge of the pool). The camera was first placed at one end of the pool and we swam toward it. We did two slower laps and then one at race pace to see if things "fell apart". We were able to see our stroke and rotation pretty well. Then they taped us from the side of the pool and tracked us from one end to the other. We could really see placement in the water and our kick and hand entry.

Overall, I've got pretty good rotation and body placement. I have been concentrating on my roll so it was good to see how that has come along. A wetsuit really helps with placement at the surface and I'm ususally wearing one during races. My hand entry needs to stretch out just a hair. I'm entering a little too close to my goggle line and he suggested I stretch it out a little. My general pull with the stroke looked pretty good. No slip and no major cross-over. Kicking, well I didn't think I kicked much but the video showed I do kick some. In a wet suit it's not really that important to kick as kicking is really just a means of getting you to the surface of the water and for stability not for propulsion. I'll work some more with a pull bouy to simulate wetsuit swimming more in the future. Not much changed when I went at race pace so that's good!!

It was a really cool thing to do and I would recommend it highly if you are interested in improving your swim!!!

2007-06-25T09:33:00.000-05:00

High Cliff-Appleton

The High cliff Tri was yesterday and over all things went well. we headed to Appleton with our friends Ang and Slade around 11:00 Saturday. It's about a 3 to 3.5 hour trip. We went straight to the park to register and "check out the water". My nerves were in full check the minute we turned down the road to the park. Will I ever get over that? We ran into a few fellow Bluff Busters, got registered and got our wave numbers. Slade did the half-iron. Jon, Angie and I did the sprint. Slade was in wave 3. I was 11, Angie was 14 and poor Jon was 16.

We headed to our friends we were staying with, unpacked the car and Angie, Slade and I were off to see Dick Hoyt speak. Check out the "CAN" link on my blog page. Truly inspirational. we went to bed about 10:30 and rose at 5:00a.m. Sunday.

We got to the park around 6:00 (traffic was not bad at all). We picked up our timing chips, got marked and headed to transition to get set up. There were a ton of Bluff Busters around! Pretty cool! Transition closed at 6:50 so we headed to the water. The half IM folks were the first 9 waves. Wave 10 started the Sprint - then my wave. Water was shallow. I could touch the whole first half of the swim. I did some walking, dolphin diving and swimming. Swim time: 7:35.4 ( last year i was over 10 minutes). 2:03.5 in transition (too long) and off on the bike.

The bike starts with a big hill about a mile long. (also the start of the run)It wasn't as bad on the bike as I had remembered it in past years. There was a headwind part of the bike, around mile 16, that sucked. Overall a good bike. 22 miles. Bike:1:09:19.6 (a minute faster than 2006). 1:16.7 in transition (again way too long.)

My run started off slow (up the hill). I actually got half way UP and started to walk. I looked up the hill and saw a competitor in a wheel chair! He was pushing himself up this hill... What a motivator. I dug deep and got running again. I really need to work in some hill repeats! Run:30:13.3 (just a hair slower than 2006.) Overall time 1:50:28.7.

All of us did well and had fun too! Jon's time was 1:41:00.

2007-06-11T16:44:00.000-05:00

1st Tri of the season down....

Well Sunday was a perfect weather day for our first triathlon of the season. BluffBusters Team had a huge turnout and walked away with lots of awards! Way to go everyone.

I got up at 5:15 a bit nervous (as always) and you know where that takes me typically....straight to the bathroom :) I had my bowl of oatmeal and got things together and was out the door about 6:25. Got to West Salem where we had to park at the High School and ride or walk about a mile to the park. Great way to wake up the legs I guess.

I had already gotten marked Saturday night so I grabbed my timing chip and went to transition to set things up. Transition closed at 7:45 which left me an HOUR before my start time. I moved to the 35 and older age group this year so we were 2nd to last in the water. They did give us some time up till 8:00 to get in the water and warm up a bit. Or should I say COOL DOWN....the water was a little chilly but I was really glad I got in and took care of that initial shock of cold!

My wave started out at 8:42 and I felt pretty good in the water. Got kicked a few times and had to move around a few ladies but I felt like it was good overall. We had a straight out then a 90 degree turn in to the boat landing. Once I turned I felt so strange. Like it was wavy or something and I really had to work to keep my cool. I felt a little dizzy trying to do the crawl and even got hit in the head...choke choke cough cough. Out of the water and into transition in 11:12 (I thought I was a lot faster than that but oh well.)

Transition from swim to bike (with wetsuit removal) took me 1:31 (9 seconds faster than last year). Then it was off on the bike for 17 miles. The bike felt good and I fet like I was pushing pretty hard as I felt the "burn" in the legs! 55:31 was my bike time (Just 17 seconds faster than last year).

Transition from bike to run was 0:52. Then I was off on the run. I wore my Garmin hoping it would push me to go a little faster...ha ha ha, Didn't work. My run was disappointing at 30:03. Yes a minute and a half SLOWER than last year! I really need to figure out how to dig deeper on the run. I* know I can run faster than that and I won't make excuses. I was tired and I didn't push hard enough. Lesson learned. I swear.

Overall time 1:39:11. Exactly 50 seconds SLOWER than last year but it still got me third place in the 35 to 39 age group. I guess I know where to put some focus for the high Cliff race in two weeks. Feet to the pavement baby!!! I'm hoping to do well at that race. Time will tell.

Next Tri: High Cliff

2007-06-08T16:06:00.000-05:00

Got Energy is Sunday!

Good luck to everyone racing in West Salem (Got Energy) Sunday!

2007-06-01T13:18:00.000-05:00

Swim/Bike
Well my first open water swim went very well. I was super nervous, mostly that the water would be cold. It really wasn't bad (thank goodness for wetsuits). I did a 1/4 mile across the lake then swam back. I completely blew off my form on the way over. Too busy worrying about the open water I guess. I need to work on my "roll" an keeping my head down so my hips stay up... Overall it was great to get back in the water.

We then hopped on our bikes and rode the course for Got Energy. It's just a week away now and I am looking forward to it.

I did a 3 mile run this morning. Legs are almost back to normal. I wore my heartrate monitor and felt like I couldn't breathe! I guess that will take some getting used to.

Planning a bike ride for tomorrow. Hopefully the weather will cooperate.

2007-05-31T09:17:00.000-05:00

Open Water

Heading to Late Neshonic tonight for my first open water swim this season. Water temps are hovering just below 70 degrees. Thank goodness for wetsuits! Hopefully no panic attacks! :) Also biking the Sprint course for next weekends race.

I ran last night. 2 miles and then a half mile walk. Just the right quad is still sore. It belt good to move again!

2007-05-28T12:56:00.000-05:00

Me and Jon post-race

Me and My Brother

Madison Half Marathon

Well, it's over and I'm pretty happy with the results. We got up at 5:00 a.m. and were out the door by 5:30 on a chilly morning. Hoped on the bus and were off to the race start at the Capitol. The weather was cold and a little windy but it porved to be a perfect day for a run!

My goal was to finish around 2:20:00 and that I did!!

Here are my results:

bib number: 3723
age: 35
gender: F
overall place: 1519 out of 2153
division place: 122 out of 197
gender place: 737 out of 1209
time: 2:10:34
pace: 9:50
chip time: 2:08:45

My brother finished with a time of 2:18:46. His only goal was to finish and he was hoping to be under 2:30:00. Way to go Bro! I'm so proud of you!!!

Jon ran the full marathon and amazed us all (even himself I think!) We are so proud of him as well. His time was 4:17:02. He was hoping for 4:30 - 5:00 so he was pretty happy with his finish.

Feeling a little, ok a lot sore today but it's managable! Just glad it's over and it went well for all of us.

On to the TRI's!!!!!!

2007-05-24T11:31:00.000-05:00

Final 5 before the big run...

Well, I ran my final run before the half marathon scheduled for this Sunday. 5 miles last night and it felt great. I should have taken some water along but I was rushed a little as I had to get back to get my son to baseball practice on time and I forgot to grab it. I went out with the birthday present my hubby got me though.... a Garmin 301 heart rate monitor and GPS. What a cool gadget! I could actually tell what pace I was running for once! My average heart rate seemed a little high at 168 but I have no other data to compare that to so I don't know if it was high or not. I ran the 5 miles in just over 46 minutes with an average 9:15 mile. Fastest was 8:48. Probably a little faster than I should have been going but that little motivator on my wrist kept me pushing on. It was pretty cool and I only wish I had gotten it sooner! :)

The half starts at 7:30 a.m. Sunday so send me some inspiration if you are still in bed!!! Better yet, send it to Jon as he attempts his first full marathon. We've been watching our intake this week and have a pasta dinner planned for Friday night. Lots of fluids too over the next few days too!

Pray for good weather and I''ll check back in after the run.....

2007-05-20T14:05:00.000-05:00

10 Miles under my belt

Earlier this week, Wednesday, I headed out for a 7 mile run into the whipping wind. NOT A GOOD RUN DAY at all. I was a bit discouraged and I cut it short at 6 miles. Nothing felt good. My legs were tired, I was breathing heavy, my knees hurt, ham strings, hips.....the list goes on. I just wasn't up for it and the wind didn't help.

Thursday morning I went to the Y for a 30 minute swim before work. Finally back in the pool and I was feeling good. That night a group of us rode the West Salem Triathlon bike route. I had a hard time keeping up with the group as it consisted of a few Iron folks and some of the Bluffbuster studs also. It's good to train with folks that made you push yourself though.

Took Friday off.

Saturday, Angie and I rode the 60K (35 mile) Westby Bike tour and it was a beautiful day and ride. Got a little windy but we enjoyed the ride nonetheless.

I ran my first 10 miler today and felt pretty darn good. Jon rode along on a mountain bike with me as he did his long run yesterday. I wasn't sure how things would go since I did a 35 mile bike tour yesterday but I surprised myself. We started at Midway (OT) and headed toward Trempleau. Ran out 5 miles and then turned around and headed back. We had a steady rain the whole way back and were soaked but I guess it's good to throw in the elements a little too. You just never know what race day will bring. I finished the 10 miles (actually 10.25) in 1:41. Not bad at all if you ask this girl!!

2007-05-07T12:44:00.002-05:00

9 Miles

Well the training plan said I had to run 9 miles so I did. I was amazed at how well it went. I did an out and back on the bike trail and the way back brought me a 30 mile an hour headwind. Ugh. Just a little added challenge I guess. I took along a small water bottle whichProbabloy should have had nore water along as I was down 2 pounds when I got home. I had a package of Sport Beans along too which saved me! (and they were yummy too). I finished the full 9 miles in 91 minutes. Just a hair over a 10 min miles but I was happy with that. The last mile was a killer. I think just knowing you are almost done makes it a little harder.

I was pretty tight as the day progressed but after a HOT shower things felt a lot better. Did some stretching and I feel great today.

The boys and I worked a water station at the St. Clare Health Mission half-marathon this weekend. We cheered on Jon as he ran on by. I think it was a good experience for the kids to help out like that. Jon ran with a buddy of his up till the last 2 miles. He finished in 2:01:54. A little over where he wanted to be but he felt great. He was supposed to do 20 miles Saturday so he decided to do a few more when we got home from the race... He did another 4 and called it a day.

I have an 8 miler Thursday and a 9 miler Sunday with a couple short runs this week as well. I may substitute a few bike rides for those though. 3 weeks till the big day! Stay tuned!!!!!!

2007-04-30T10:09:00.000-05:00

Coulee Du

It was a great race day this year for the Coulee Du. Great turn-out too. We headed to the race site about 7:15 after a small cup of coffee and some toast! I shouldn't have had the coffee....SLOSH SLOSH on the run. We arrived and discovered that one of my elbow pads on my areobars was GONE. UGH. I used a sock to cover the ugly metal for the day. Looking good!! :) The first run went great. It was my first "race" since interval training started so I wasn't sure how things would go. I was hoping to be a little faster but I'll take the average 8:35 miles I ran. Pretty good for me I guess. Then it was off on the bike. I struggled with this part a little. The wind was no fun and for some strange reason, I got a charlie horse in my right calf with about 4 miles to go. OUCH did that hurt!!! All I could think was "how am i ever going to run?". Finished the bike slower that I had hoped at 1:00:46. I tried to stretch the calf a little in transition (without losing too much precious time) then it was off on the last run. I stopped right out of transition to stretch the calf again as it was KILLING me. Went about 10 yards and stopped to stretch one last time. Then it was off and running. I felt like I was walking but of course NO WALKING!!! I finished the last run in 29:23 (average 9:48 miles) but finished it strong.

Scott Cooper was navigating the course all day on his bike and found me with about 800 meters to go. He said...."Looks like about an 800, what's that mean?" and I said.... "That means I have 4 minutes to finish!!" (I have been doing my interval training with Scott and have been shooting for 8 minute miles. We're on week 4 of 800 meter intervals) So I set my mind to it and did it.

Over all it was a pretty good day. I need to work on bike to run bricks. That first miles always gets me.... Mind games you know!

2007-04-16T21:21:00.000-05:00

70 and Sunny TODAY!!!

Well, my 8 mile run went well yesterday. Took 84 minutes and I actually felt great. I honestly felt better the second half of the run which surprised me. I hate to say this ot loud...but I was actually HOT. Mr Sun was shining down on me and I was WAY over dressed. Oh well, I survived. About an hour and a half after my run, I met a group from BluffBusters and we biked the 17 mile Coulee Du route. I forgot about those fabulous hills! It felt great to be on the roads again. I was worried they'd leave me in the dust but I was more in the middle of the group. Not up with the super-fast-riders and not at the back either. I was pretty much on my own for the majority of the ride. Ok with me though. I was just glad to be out.

Jon and I biked a little over 17 miles again tonight and I was feeling it in my legs.... Of course, yesterday was Jon's day off so he had some fresh legs unlike me!! Oh well, I enjoyed it anyway.

Intervals in the morning tommorrow. I just may die! 4X800's. 3 almost killed me last week but I will push on through it. We're hitting the outdoor track this time so at least it won't be quite as boring. 400m track vs the 200m we have been running on. Hopefully it won't be too cold...I'm a wimp about the cold!

2007-04-14T20:47:00.000-05:00

Finally Sunny and getting Warmer....

55 today and 60's tomorrow. Yeah I can finally get on my bike OUTSIDE. I am looking forward to riding the Coulee Du route Sunday with the Bluffbusters group. Hopefully they won't leave me in the dust! :) There's also a group ride planned for Thursday night from the new bike shop in Holmen. I plan to do that as well (20 miles, weather permitting). I have an 8 mile run planned for tomorrow morning. I'm a little nervous as I was really sore after running 7 Monday night. I plan to take it slow and just get the miles in. No speed needed. Got in the pool finally today. It had been way too long and I am really going to make an effort to swim a couple times a week again. I realized when I started today how much I miss swimming. It's just me and the water.... No stress, no pounding and no burning thighs! I did a couple spinning classes this week and they were great as well. One was a 45 inute HILL. Thanks Tracie! Now I just need to hit the streets (and watch for salt and sand after the SNOW we had earlier this week).

I got my TEAM 4 package of goodies this week. Our cycling jersey's are Sooooo sweet. The tri tops are on order so I'm excited to get that as well. I sent out my request to friends and family for pledges earlier this week and am amazed at the immediate response. I'm at $180 already!! Thanks you to all of you for your generosity!! I feel truly blessed to be a part of this team. I really hope my participation makes a difference to someone sometime.

Well, I need to rest up for my workouts tomorrow. HAPPY TRAIING Everyone!

2007-04-08T20:19:00.000-05:00

Back to Reality

I was at a conference most of last week in Palm Springs, CA. A 60 degree temperature difference from good old WI. It was so nice to get in a couple runs outside in the warm sun. I forgot how different the heat feels on the body! They even had their Cybex machines set up outside. Pretty dang cool lifting in the sunshine and warm breeze.

The sciatic nerve has not caused me any more problems but I am trying hard to ice after run workouts and heat at times too. STRETCHING as often as I remember. It's a hard habit to get into.

With Easter today I did not get in my long run (7 miler) so Jon and I intend on doing that tomorrow evening together. He needed to do 6 anyway. He ran 14 miles Satruday and felt pretty good other than some knee pain. He's been dilligently icing his knees nightly. With traveling things got pushed out a l ittle and I did 6 miles on the treadmil Friday (1 mi warmup 4 at tempo and 1 mile cool down). I was fortunate enough to have a TV in front of me to make it not so BORING. We'll be outside tomorrow for the 7 miler. Hopefully it will go well!

Just got the bike tuned up and she's got 2 brand new tires. We are ready to hit the roads.....if it ever warms up a little. The Coulee Du is only 3 weeks away!!! Woo Hoo. I remember it was pretty cold last year so I'll rpobably end up using some new gear (arm and leg warmers). Pray for good weather!

Happy Easter and Happy Training!

2007-03-26T20:38:00.000-05:00

TEAM 4 - I'm IN!!!

I just got the official notice that I am a part of Team 4 for the 2007 race season. "Racing for a Reason". Click on the Team 4 link to the right on this site and then go "Team 4" and "The Athletes" and you'll see my name!! They state that I lost an uncle and sister-in-law to cancer this last year. Well it was actually my sister-in-law, Amy's, sister Paula Epping and my dad's brother David. Both of them fought a very brave battle. This year I will race for them and all the other survivors and fighters of cancer in my life.

2007-03-23T09:26:00.000-05:00

OUCH!

Ok that hurt. I was running on the treadmil Wednesday night. Just about at mile 4 then all of a sudden...shooting PAIN in my left "cheek". Yes, my butt cheek. I'm pretty sure it's my sciatic nerve. Had to stop immediately as it hurt so bad. It's feeling mych better but I'm taking it really easy right now (doing nothing). Doc says.....ICE and take it easy and see how things go. Boy, I hope it's nothing major....that would put a damper on the season!

2007-03-22T16:09:00.000-05:00

Team4

I just mailed my application for Team4. Wish me luck! I'll be hitting you all up for donations if I get in... :)

http://www.superpearteam4.com/

I won't be racing the Danskin Tri this year so I looked for another way to join the fight against cancer. This past year I lost an uncle to lung cancer and my sister-in-law’s sister to brain cancer. It seems like my life is touched over and over by both survivors and fighters of this terrible disease. A friend (a breast cancer survivor) was recently diagnosed with breast cancer again. Another friend was recently given just 4 short weeks as she fights off the tumors on her brain. She will leave behind a 2 year old little girl. A fellow Triathlete and Team4 athlete Daniella Nichols (IronSunshine) tells of her fight and survival. I feel moved to be a part of the fight. Here lies a great opportunity for me to do just that.

2007-03-15T16:19:00.000-05:00

Strong Legs for Strong Kids Spin-a-thon

I will be participating in a spin-a-thon on Sunday for the Strong Kids Campaign for the YMCA. It will be 4 continuous hours of "spinning" with a group at the La Crosse YMCA. I'm hoping I can still walk when it's over! I have been assured by many that "it will be FUN!". Time will tell.

Here's some info about the Strong Kids Campaign. What a great cause! http://www.laxymca.org/strong_kids.html

2007-03-15T09:08:00.000-05:00

Truly an Inspiration!

Dick Hoyt will be speaking the night before the Highcliff Triathlon in Appleton. Hopefully I will get a chance to hear his talk.

2007-03-08T11:10:00.001-06:00

This is worth watching...

http://www.212amovie.com/

2007-03-08T10:54:00.000-06:00

The Weather Outside is....

Well, it's really not so bad. About 30 degrees last night and my husband and I did a 5 mile run outdoors. It was actually nice to get away from the treadmil for once. Had to pay attention to the sidewalks as there's still a bit of snow and ice. The lungs felt good and so did the legs! Spring fever is here!!!

2007-03-07T08:04:00.000-06:00

Finally Back to Post

Sorry it's been a while since my last post. Life seems to get in the way sometimes. Training last week went well. Missed out on a spinning class due to the 2 feet of snow and ice that dumped on us. Ugh! Make it go away!!! The YMCA cancelled classes and even closed early. Oh well, I worked a little harder Saturday moring on the bike to make up for it.

My training runs last week consisted of 3 miles Tuesday which included 3-400 meter intervals (a little tought than those 200m were), Thursday 3mi easy run and Sunday 5 miles at about 10:20. I still struggle with not turning up the "speed" a little though I know this is better in the long run. I went to spinning class twice and did NOT get in the pool (shame shame!). Hopefully this week.

Yesterday our running group did 4-400 meter intervals. We are warming up with about a mile run on the track. Then we start intervals. Those consist of 400 meters at or faster than our race pace (I've been shooting for 8 minute miles), we then run a 200 meter recovery lap and then another 400 meters, etc., when the intervals are completed, we do a 10 minute cool down. I did pretty well but was really feeling the cardio on the 4th one. I'm the slower one in the group but I keep telling myself to stay positive and this will pay off. At least I'm there.

I usually do my Thursday run in the morning and that was ok at a 3 miles distance (plenty of time) but now that the distances are moving up and time will increase, I'm moving my Thursday run to either Wednesday night or Friday night. Thursday night we do a spinning class.... We'll see how the legs feel...

Stay tuned...

Train hard - Live Strong!

2007-02-27T13:21:00.000-06:00

2007 Schedule

4/28/2007 Coulee Duathlon (3mi/17mi/3mi)
5/27/2007 Mad City Half Marathon
6/10/2007 Got Energy Triathlon (Sprint)
6/24/2007 High Cliff Triathlon (Sprint)
7/07/2007 Chileda Classic 10K Run
7/21/2007 Castle Rock Triathlon (Sprint)
8/18/2007 Holmen Kornfest 10K Run
9/09/2007 IRON MAN WI (just a spectator- "Go Slade!!!!")
9/15/2007 Devil's Challenge Triathlon (Sprint)
9/23/2007 Iron Girl Duathlon (2mi/22mi/2mi)
9/29/2007 Oktoberfest Mapleleaf Road Races 5mi

2007-02-22T07:52:00.000-06:00

Rest is best sometimes!

I think I may have done a bit too much last week finishing up my Indoor IronMan Tri. Rundown with a nice headcold... I took Tuesday and Wednesday off this week to try to fight off this "crud" that's trying to beat me. I think it was a good idea as I am feeling MUCH better today. Breathing was a little heavy on the good old treadmil this a.m. but I got through a whopping 3 miles without too much pain! :) It felt good to move again. Amazing how we sometimes have to force ourselved to take a break.

The weather was beautiful and I would have loved a bike ride outside...but I needed the rest. Plus, the streets are still a mess with sand and yuck everywhere. Won't be long now and I can hit the streets! (Maybe even a try at "S" Danni!!! Not that I'd ever get close to 8 minutes!)

2007-02-17T12:22:00.000-06:00

Happy Saturday to all. It's been a busy week trying to finish up my indoor IronMan. Well, as of this morning I've completed my swim and my bike. 4 miles to run on Sunday and I'm done! Took me 18 days but I did it! What a great way to get people active. The YMCA has been nuts (expecially those spinning classes). Hopefully when the month is over we'll have a few more empty bikes and it will be a little easier to get signed up for classes. I get tired of my trainer and I need the extra push of a little competition!!

Our Tri club brought in a cycling professional to talk to our group today but my boys are finishing up their basketball seasons so I'll be in the stands cheering them on just like they do for me in the summer at races. Hopefully someone will take good notes for me!! :) I could use some pointers.

Well, hope you train hard this week and I'll be back soon!!!

2007-02-13T07:40:00.000-06:00

Well I just finished an interval workout at the indoor track with our morning group. We did 8 200 meter intervals today and I did ok. Felt a lot better than last week! The track was buzzing with people.... Next week we will do 10X200m intervals then we have a taper week where we'll move to 400m. That's going to be interesting.

Here's where I'm at on my indoor IronMan: Swim=2500m completed and 1725m to go. Bike=71 miles completed and 41 miles to go. Run=19 miles completed and 7.2 miles to go. Woo hoo I'm over half way there! This is a great motivator. Must be that competitive side of me... There are some people that have already completed this!!

2007-02-02T16:28:00.000-06:00

2007-02-02T16:14:00.000-06:00

Well, training has been going pretty well so far. I have been running Tuesday mornings with a group from Bluff Busters Tri Club and it's been great. We are working on interval training and are building up slowly. We started on 200 meter intervals this week and it went pretty well. I think this is really going to pay off for speed on the run. Let's hope so anyway! They are a great group to train with (especially at 6 a.m.!).

Biking has been fun. I've been sticking to group cycling classes and some time on the trainer. Can't wait to hit the streets when it warms. One of the downfalls to life in Wisconsin I guess. The hills are calling to me and my bike every day!!!

I need to get more pool time in (it's hard to think about getting wet when it's like 5 degrees outside) so I signed up for an "indoor IronMan distance triathlon" at the YMCA. It's pretty cool. Participants have the month of February to complete it (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and 26.2 mile run) a little at a time. This may be exactly what I need!! :) I'll let you know how I do......

Jon and I have both started our official training plans for the "big run" in May. I'm running 3 days a week for now and will build to longer runs week by week. The longest run I have ever done is only 5 miles so this will be a challenge to say the lease. I thought I had a lot of miles to put in until I saw his training plan... HOLY COW does he have some long runs to do! Good luck to you Jon!! We're here to support you and are proud of you too!

Well, stay warm all of you who live close to me! See you "at the races".

2007-01-05T20:57:00.000-06:00

Try2Tri
Ok, it's time to get this blog thing moving again. I'm not very techie so I'll just have to do a little struggling along the way I guess.

The holidays are over and a new year of training and racing has begun. I can't wait to get going!!! My family joined the YMCA in October and I have developed a Group Cycling addiction I think. You want to sweat? Do a Cycling class....sweat is unavoidable and I love it! I've met some cool athletes and hope to get to know quite a few more. I've never been one for weight lifting (oh I know it's necessary but I'm a wimp) so I started attending a Total Body Conditioning class that incorporates lighter weights and LOTS OF REPS. I pay for it for a couple days but it's a good pain.

I have decided to stick with Sprint distance Triathlons this year. May be a 1/2 Iron in 2008 who knows? For now, I want to make some improvements in the sprints. I have started a triathlon training plan that was set up by fellow triathlete and Bluff Buster, Scott Cooper. I'm hoping for some faster swim, bike, and especially run times this season. We'll see if the intervals pay off. I am looking forward to some group workouts and advice this season.

I am hoping also to complete my first half marathon this May (MadCity Marathon). Considering I couldn't run a mile two years ago without walking I think it's a pretty big goal. My husband Jon finished his first half marathon last May and has begun training for his first marathon this May. My brother, Collin hopes to join me in the 1/2 this year too. Pray for us!!! :)

I'll keep you posted on training and racing as time permits. Our amazing boys keep us so busy we barely have time to sleep it seems. Thank goodness they love to exercise and love the Y too. They are always excited come along to play when we do some of our training. Sam always wants to race me in the pool!!!

God Bless and happy training to all!!!

2006-09-27T13:26:00.000-05:00

Try2Tri

Gearing up for the 5 mile in La Crosse's Oktoberfest run this Saturday. I'm pretty excited as I will be running with my brother who, after watching my husband finish his first half marathon back in May and listening to us chatter about triathlon, was inspired to get up off the couch (or the chair in front of his computer) and start running. He has come so far and I am so proud of him. He's lost about 20 pounds and has completed a few races including 2 mile fun run and a couple 5k's. He hopes to join the world of triathlon next summer ant attempt his first Sprint!

2006-09-25T22:04:00.000-05:00

Welcome to my journey. It has been a season of learning an growing for me. I have made some definite improvement but still nave a LONG way to go. I spent the winter learning to do the front crawl and boy did that help! :) Then I started the season with one main goal: Beat last years time in every race I had done the previous year. Mission accomplished!